Means for illuminating stages and other objects



Oct. 8, 1935. E. VON TOLL 2,016,467

MEANS FOR ILLUMINATING STAGES AND OTHER OBJECTS Filed Feb. 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l i L FL .5.

3 nvenfor ERIC V ON TOLL 4 (Ittorneg 5 Oct. 8, 1935. E. VON TOLL 2,016,467

MEANS FOR ILLUMINATING STAGES AND OTHER OBJECTS Filed Feb. 25, 1952 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Fig.7.

Zmventor E RIC VON TOLL 4 (Ittornegi Patented Oct. 8, 1935 2 01 4 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEANS FOR ILLUMINATING STAGES AND OTHER OBJECTS Eric von Toll, Columbus, Ohio Application February 25, 1932, Serial No. 595,092

3 Claims. (01. 2403) This invention relates to the diffusion of light arch of a theater behind which the apparatus and has for its object to provide a means for required by my invention is indicated in clotted producing glareless illumination which may be section.

employed over a great region Without the pro- Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse view of the stage, d ti of h d taken along the line IIII, Fig. 2, and partially 5 It is well known that in theatrical stage lightbroken away to conserve space. ing, for instance, such a large volume of light is Fig. 3 is a plan view of the stage taken above necessary to satisfy an audience that great disthe upper lights. comfort and sometimes injury of the eyes is in- Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of my improved flicted upon the performers. This is caused by refractive surface illustrating the dispersion of 10 the fact that if an actor or perfo faces n hght passing therethroughor more of a series of-lights he is forced to suf- Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through one of fer the glare from each of these lights even my improved lighting fixtures, and though he may be satisfactorily illuminated from Fig. '7 is a plan View of the total refractive surthe audience stand point. faces employed in the fixture of Fig. 6. 15

It is .therefore an object of the invention to pro- More particularly in the views I 0 designates vide an apparatus whereby the light rays from the proscenium arch of a theater having a stage one or a plurality of sources of light may be diftherebehind illuminated by the footlights l2, the fused regardless of the intensity and volume, toborder lights l3, and by the pivoted lights l4 supward the end that large areas, such as stages, ported on the proscenium arch It]. Each of these 20 public halls and the like may be illuminated un1- lights is composed of a row, or series of electric formly and t t g1are lamps I housed in a box or reflector hood l5 Another object of the invention 1s to provide which 1s equipped with my improved lens It. a means for diffusing light and at the same time The lens I6 is composite of a plurality of lenses,

for directing each diffused ray thereof in such each constituting a series of refractive prisms, as

a manner that full advantage may be had from may be seen in Figs. 3, 6 and '7. The prisms in the power supplied to the light source so that each constituent lens are mutually parallel and, the herein revealed apparatus may be employed. for cheapness of construction all may be of the to advantage over specific areas, as for instance, same angularity. The size and also the angularity on theatrical stages, and which, by its gr efof the prisms can be constructed to advantage by ficiency in th mployment of the light rays, may slightly varying the angle of each succeeding find wide usage in large halls, as for instance, prism if desired. It will be seen from either elein gymnasiums to also effect a considerable savment of Fig. 4 that the light rays traversing the of power lens will be changed in their course to cross the In theaters, for instance, a multiplicity of colpaths f other rays thereby giving the phonemeors are sometimes employe at a given moment non of diffusion. A single diffusion resulting and the perform rs on e Sta e Ordinarlll E- from passage through a single lens results in ceive differential illumination, producing an bands of light with resultant dark ridges which harmonious effect because of the diffic y are in reality shadows so that a further intersper- DOSSibiIitY of p op y blending the rays l sion of rays becomes of advantage. This is acing from the several light S es- Thlls, complished by the composite lens l6 by means of performer stands considerably closer to one color hi h Series of prisms directs t rays passthan to another he will reflect the rays from the ing therethrough to a crossing of the paths of the nearer color almost to the exclusion of the other. rays from t other prisms, This is clearly 1 It is therefore a specific object of the invention lustrated in Figs, 4 and 5 wherein the rays from to provide means operable i accord W t t e l g adjacent series cross each other as also do the dispensing principles related herein for the blend rays from the outer series unless interceptedby ing of a plur i y of Colored y of lights in Order the rear curtain (or floor) ll. This, then, proto make possible the production of uniform and vides a means for determining the angle ofi more beautiful color effects. dence of the rays with the rear curtain and the 50 Othe Objects and advantages will become e angularity of the prisms is selected according to inafter apparent as reference is had to the acthe particular environment. companying drawings wherein my invention is il- In directing the various light rays across the lustrated and in whichpaths of other rays to eliminate glare and shadow Figure 1 is a representation of the proscenium there is employed the refractive surface to direct 55 the beams over a selected area in order to obtain the maximum efliciency from the lamps. It may therefore be said that I provide a controlled diffusion wherein each light ray is directed in a given path in order to illuminate only a selected area.

I have found that my improved lens when used with vari-colored sources of light will effect a blending of the various colors to produce a uniformity unattainable by any other means of which I am aware.

My invention is susceptible of a wide variety of arrangements to: accommodate various settings to which it is adaptable and the arrangement and forms can be changed without departing from the gist of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

1. Illuminating means for a stage having a proscenium arch, said illuminating means including, in combination, a plurality of rows of lamps for illuminating the stage including foot lights, border lights and vertical lights arranged along the inside of the proscenium arch, each of said rows of lamps having cooperating therewith a series of prismatic light diffusing lenses, said series including a variety of patterns, each of said patterns having a plurality of rectilinear parallel light difiusing prisms of diverse cross-section and each of said patterns different in direction Irom those of the adjacent pattern or patterns whereby a' diverse crisscrossing of the rays from the series of patterns is obtained.

2. Illuminating means for a stage having a proscenium arch, said illuminating means includ ing, in combination, a plurality of rows of lamps including foot lights, vertical lights and overhead lights arranged inside the arch, each of said rows of lamps having a prismatic lens composed of a plurality of patterns, each of said patterns having 5 rectilinear, parallel and similar light diffusing prisms extending in varying direction with respect to adjacent patterns or pattern whereby a varying crisscrossing of the rays from each lens is obtained, each of said composite lenses arranged 10 to provide a Varying crisscrossing with the rays of the other composite lenses whereby complete diffusion and uniform illumination of the entire stage is provided.

3. Illuminating means for a stage having a proscenium arch, said means including in combination a plurality of rows of lamps behind said arch, a prismatic lens for each of said rows of lamps, each of said lenses composed of a plurality of patterns, each of said patterns including a plurality of similar parallel prisms extending in a direction at angles to its adjacent pattern or patterns, the prisms of each pattern also varying in cross section from those of its adjacent pattern or patterns, whereby varying crisscrossing of the rays of each lamp with those of the others is effected, said lamps giving rays of different colors, said patterns blending the rays of each lamp with those of the other lamps and uniformly illuminating the stage.

ERIC VON TOLL. 

